The Supply Side: Mother’s invention ‘Baby Vida’ lands on Walmart shelves

Editor’s note: The Supply Side section of Talk Business & Politics focuses on the companies, organizations, issues and individuals engaged in providing products and services to retailers. The Supply Side is managed by Talk Business & Politics and sponsored by Propak Logistics.
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Sleepless nights are common for new parents, but for Mollie and Jeff Evans, the sleepless episodes evolved into a passion to help parents guard against Sudden Infant Death syndrome, or respiratory failure in infants under one year of age.

It took the Omaha, Neb., couple nearly four years to bring their innovative product Baby Vida to the market.

“Baby Vida became Mollie’s mission shortly after our first son was born and they had to rush him downstairs to ICU for respiratory issues just a few minutes after his birth. It was pretty scary for new parents and this brought a heightened awareness to us when we got him home,” Jeff Evans said.

Just two years later the couple delivered identical twin girls who developed respiratory issues at four months old prompting trips to the emergency room.

“It was exhausting for Mollie who checked on them every 45 minutes throughout the night. She began to research heavily options parents had for monitors that kept up with breathing and oxygen levels. There were none,” he said.

The couple decided in 2012 to invest in the product and make it a reality. They launched their effort using their history of inventing sports safety items and getting them patented.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN
“We set out on a worldwide search for engineers that could make this happen. We worked with a guy in Washington state and he took us about as far as he could go. But we ultimately started over with a new form of pulse technology. At this point we have three and half years of time invested in this product,” Evans said.

When the couple was introduced to pulse technology the product came together quickly. Pulse Oximetry is a method for non-invasively monitoring heart and oxygen levels. It works by reading the light absorptive characteristics of pulsating blood flow in the arteries to measure oxygen saturation. It is a simple, effective and painless indicator, according to the Evans’.

The pulse technology is woven into a sock-like device placed on an infant’s foot. The Baby Vida Smart Monitor constantly gets the readings of baby’s heart rate and oxygen level. With the use of algorithms developed specifically for the device, it measures such factors as sudden movements and/or normal baby behavior. Bluetooth technology through a mobile application sends an alert to the parent’s cell phone if there is any respiratory issues or if the baby wearing the monitor is taken outside of a 60 foot connection radius.

U.S. MADE
“Mollie was adamant that this monitor needed to be affordable, made in the U.S. and accessible to new parents across the country. So we were delighted to select S and Y Industries as our manufacturer. Owner Sandy Foust has been an amazing partner for us,” Evans said.

The woman-owned circuit board business is based in Winfield, Kan., and employs about 100.

After nailing down a manufacturer, the couple loaded up their SUV with four kids, ages 8, 6, 6 and 2 and headed south to Bentonville to meet Walmart buyers in hopes of making a sale. Evans called Walmart for appointment and they gave him a time, it was a pretty simple arrangement.

“It was totally surreal. We marched into the home office and saw at least 75 businessmen in business suits in the waiting area. We had our product strapped on our youngest kid,” Evans said.

The couple met with baby buyer Megan Autry who Jeff Evans described as “a forward thinker and 2017 mom who understands smart technology.”

“The meeting at Walmart went great. Megan and the entire team have been incredibly supportive of this product. She understood that Millennials have grown up with their finger on the pulse of technology and that’s what they expect as new mommies,” he said.

By September 2015 Baby Vida had made its way into roughly half of Walmart’s 4,500 U.S. stores. He said the product is being sold coast to coast and online for $134.91. He said Walmart got the product first and the exclusive price. Other retailers such as Target and Amazon are now carrying Baby Vida at a slightly higher price.

WALMART BABY PUSH
The timing of Baby Vida could not have been better for Walmart U.S. as the retailer began expanding its baby products and services in July 2015. A Goldman Sachs study recently found that American consumers annually spend $1 trillion on their children. The report also notes that Millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, are spending at a higher rate on their children than previous generations.

“Over the past year or so we have added 20 brands to our baby department after listening to what young parents want,” Diana Marshall, vice president of Walmart’s baby division, told Talk Business & Politics in September, the same month Baby Vida made its way into stores.

Marshall, a Millennial parent, said she and some of her buyers who are also young parents have taken their concerns and ideas to suppliers in recent months in hopes of finding solutions and items like organic baby food and economical, yet durable diapers.

The retailer also said it’s committed to lead the baby industry in three key areas: product safety, national brands at low prices, and baby-clock shopping. Baby-clock shopping is a term Wal-Mart coined to describe the moment parents find it convenient to shop, whether it’s in a store after that well-needed nap or at night on their mobile device.

Aside from offering more innovative baby products, Wal-Mart also integrated its baby registry into its mobile application which analysts agree is a key step for winning favor with Millennials.

USER FEEDBACK
Evans said while the product has been available for a few months parents and caretakers of ill children have already begun reaching out to Baby Vida with heartfelt messages.

“Last week Mollie took a call from a police officer in New York City whose baby had been in the neo-natal intensive care unit. She hadn’t slept in two weeks since bringing the baby home. She got our monitor and some peace of mind as well,” Evan said.

Another user from Ontario, Canada, called in tears to try and get some assistance with the installation of the mobile app. This caller said she was a nurse who cares for critically ill children, sometimes in her home. She found the product online and was blown away by how easy it is use, he said.

“We invented this product to give parents peace of mind and we are so happy that we saw it through and that Walmart makes it accessible to the masses,” Evan said.